Case cleaning apparatus



Nov. 19, 1968 RA T 3,411,172

CAS E CLEANING APPARATUS Filed May 4. 1966 :5 Sheets-Sheet i INVENTOR.

in I ATTORNEYS Nov. 19, 1968 J. E. GRANT CASE CLEANING APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 4, 1966 INVENTOR. d'arzzasfirazzi 1y KWATTORNEYS Nov. 19, 1968 J. E. GRANT 3,411,172

CASE CLEANING APPARATUS Filed May 4, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 mw & a 4% V INVENTOR.

United States Patent m 3,411,172 CASE CLEANING APPARATUS James E. Grant, La Crosse, Wis., assignor to G. Heileman Brewing Company, Inc., La Crosse, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Filed May 4, 1966, Ser. No. 547,566 3 Claims. (Cl. 15-94) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Removing foreign material from reusable, open-ended cases and the like containers is accomplished by cleaning apparatus comprising a generally S-shaped upstanding guide means for receiving cases at the upper leg thereof in an upright position and for guiding the cases through an S-shaped path of travel as they fall gravitationally to the lower leg thereof. The guide means is constructed to maintain the longitudinal axis of the cases substantially coincident with the path of travel so that the cases are turned to an inverted position as they descend to the central portion of the guide means. In order to enable the foreign material to drop from the open ends of the inverted cases, a grille is formed in the central portion of the guide means through which the material passes to a collection receptacle. The cases are then returned to an upright position as they descend to the lower leg of the guide means.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Many different types of goods including bottled goods are packed and shipped by the manufacturer in reusable cases or cartons. After the goods have been removed, the cases are sent back to the manufacturer to be reused. Before fresh goods are packed in the returned cases, however, it is desirable to remove any foreign material such as scraps of paper, dirt and other debris which may have accumulated in the cases.

The case cleaning apparatus should desirably the simple and economical in operation and have a high cleaning rate so that the cost involved in this phase of the packing and shipping operation is reduced to a minimum. The present invention satisfies these requirements by affording a high speed operation with a minimum of initial and operational expenses.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In the present invention, the cases may be supplied to the upper end of the guide means by any suitable arrangement such as a continuously operating conveyor system. The cases are delivered to the guide means in an upright position so that the open ends of the cases are at the top. For cases having flaps or swingable lids the flaps are opened up before the cases are delivered to the guide means. The cases then drop gravitationally through the S-shaped path of travel provided by the guide means and in the inverted positions thereof the cases pass over an open grille formed in the central portion of the guide means, whereby foreign material within the cases falls through the grille and into a receptacle. The cases are then turned again to an upright position in the lower portion of the guide means and may be directed to another conveyor system for delivering the cleaned cases to a packing station.

Since the cases are inverted merely as the result of a gravitational fall through an S-shaped curve, the present invention requires no moving parts; nor is there required 3,41 1,1 72 Patented Nov. 1 9, 1 968 an indexing system or electrical and mechanical components as are required in many case cleaners.

Furthermore, the present invention will handle cases that vary greatly in size without any adjustment, will handle various sized cases that are intermingled, is essentially maintenance free and enjoys a high operating speed.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide case cleaning apparatus for removing foreign material from open-ended reusable cases or the like containers which comprises an upstanding guide means for guiding cases which are moved gravitationally through a curved path of travel whereby the cases are turned from an upright to an inverted position for releasing the foreign materials from the cases and are then turned again to an upright position for delivery from the guide means.

Another object of the invention is to provide a case cleaner which will accommodate cases having swingable lids or flaps as well as intermingled cases of various sizes.

Another object of the invention is to provide a case cleaner having no moving parts and thus essentially maintenance free.

Still another object of the invention is to provide case cleaning apparatus having high speed and high performance characteristics with a minimum of initial and operating expenses.

A further object of the invention is to provide high cleaning performance by passing the entire bottom open end of the cases over a grille area while simultaneously jogging or jarring the cases.

Many other features, advantages and additional objects of the present invention will become manifest to those versed in the art upon making reference to the detailed description which follows and the accompanying sheets of drawings in which preferred structional embodiments incorporating the principles of the present invention are shown by way of illustrative example only.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of case cleaning apparatus constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention with a portion of a drop chute cut away to show the case jogging arrangement and including a pair of conveyor systems for supplying and removing cases to and from the cleaning apparatus;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of a portion of the case cleaning apparatus shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a side elevational view of the case cleaning apparatus shown in FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the case jogger taken substantially along section lines IVIV of FIGURE 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Reference numeral 10 indicates generally case cleaning apparatus constructed in accordance with the present invention and characterized as comprising a vertically upstanding generally S-shaped case guide member assembly 11 having an upper portion or leg 12 which is curved in one direction, a lower leg 13 which is curved in an opposite direction and a straight portion 14 which interconnects the upper and lower legs 12 and 13. The cases which are to be cleaned are supplied to an open end 16 of the upper leg 12 by any suitable means such as a continuously operating conveyor system indicated at reference numeral 17. After the cases have moved through the guide means 11 and foreign material has been re moved therefrom, the cleaned cases are delivered from an open end 18 of the lower leg 13 by means of another conveyor system indicated at 19.

The guide member assembly 11 is more particularly characterized as comprising a pair of spaced upper and lower parallel guide sheets 20 and 21 respectively both of which extend at right angles to a vertical plane and in a transverse direction a distance substantially greater than the width of any case to be cleaned on the apparatus.

At the upper open end 16 of the guide member 11, the guide sheet 21 is situated below the opposite guide sheet 20. As the upper leg 12 curves in a downward direction, however, the guide sheet 20 moves below the guide sheet 21 and remains in this relative position until, near the bottom open end 18 of the lower leg 13, guide sheet 21 is again disposed below the guide sheet 20.

In order to prevent the cases from moving laterally from between the guide sheets 20 and 21 a pair of spaced parallel lateral abutment sheets 22 and 24 are situated inwardly of edges 24 and 26 of the guide sheet 21 and extend therefrom at right angles thereto a given distance in the direction of the opposite guide sheet 20.

The guide sheets 20 and 21 are connected together in fixed assembly by means of a plurality of rectangularly shaped frame members 27 situated in spaced relation along the length of the S-shaped assembly 11.

In FIGURE 1, cases which may have contained therewithin debris and other foreign material are indicated at 28a on the conveyor 17, and in operation the uncleaned cases 28a may be supplied one after the other and at a high feed rate to the entrance opening 16. The cases are placed on the conveyor 17 in an upright position with open ends 29 thereof facing upwardly and closed bottom ends 30 facing downwardly and resting on the conveyor 17. Some or all of the cases may be provided with swingable flaps or lids 31 at the top open ends 29 thereof and in such instances the flaps are swung open to extend laterally away from the cases at the time the cases are placed on the conveyor 17. Thus when the cases are supplied to the entrance opening 16 each case is open at the top. As the cases 28a enter the assembly 11 through opening 16, the bottom walls 30 thereof are supported from underneath by the guide sheets 21.

Reference numerals 2811-28 indicate a case at various positions as it descends gravitationally through the S-shaped path of travel dictated by the configuration of the guide sheets 20 and 21. At position 28b the case has just entered opening 16 and the bottom wall 30 thereof is supported by the guide sheet 21. Flaps 31 extend transversely between edges 32, 32 of the lateral abutment sheets 22 and 23 and the opposite guide sheet 20. It should be understood that the lateral distance between the abutment sheets 22 and 23 is great enough to accommodate the width dimension of the largest case to be cleaned and the lateral distance between end flanges 33, 33 of the support frames 27 is sufficiently great to avoid interference with the outer edges of the flaps 31 in the open or extended position of the flaps.

In position 280, the longitudinal axis of the case is ver tical since the case is being turned, and the open end 29 of the case is in abutting engagement with the guide sheet 20. As the case continues its downward travel to position 28d the open end 29 faces substantially downwardly and continues in this position as it travels through the central portion 14 of the apparatus 11.

In the substantially inverted position of the case as shown at 28d, foreign material is allowed to drop downwardly out of the case through a grille indicated generally at 34 which extends across an opening 36 formed in the central portion of the guide sheet 20.

In order to insure proper removal of the foreign material from the case, the entire area of the open end of the case should be exposed to the opening 36 and to accomplish this the grille 34 comprises a first pair of longitudinally extending support rods 37 and 38 which project from one end 39 of the opening 36 in overlapping relation with a second pair of rods 40 and 41 which project in an opposite direction from an opposite end 42 of the opening 36. The rods 37-41 are mutually offset in a lateral direction whereby all parts of the open end of the case move across open portions of the grille 34 as the case travels through the central portion 14.

In order to jog or jar the cases as they pass over the grille 34, rods 37 and 38 are inclined upwardly so that distal ends 43 and 44 thereof project above rods and 41, thus presenting an irregular surface over which the cases pass.

For example, the position of the case shown at 28d is such that the case is situated on a top ramp surface 46 of the rods 37 and 38. As the leading edge of the case moves sufficiently far beyond ends 43 and 44 of the rods 37 and 38 it will drop down to a top ramp surface 47 of each of the rods 40 and 41 to the portion shown at 28c, whereby the case is subjected to a jarring or jogging action. Again, as the trailing edge of the case moves beyond ends 43 and 44 of the rods 37 and 38 the case is again subjected to a jarring action.

When the case moves to the position thereof shown at 28] the leading edge thereof drops downwardly from inclined rods 40 and 41 to the guide sheet 20, again subjecting the case to a jarring action, as a result of which the cleaning characteristics of apparatus 10 are greatly improved.

The cases then continue to descend into the lower leg 13 to the position shown at 28g and are finally turned again to an upright position as shown at 2811 upon emergence from the exit opening 18 for delivery to the conveyor system 19.

The dirt and other foreign material which is dumped from the cases through the grille 34 is directed to a suitable receptacle by means of a chute 48 which extends from the opening 36 formed in guide sheet 20 downwardly and to one side of the lower leg 13 of the guide member 11 where it is discharged through an opening 49 to a collection container.

It may be desirable is some situations to equip the apparatus 10 with an air blast, vacuum cleaner or the like for dust removal after the cases have passed over the grille 34. Insecticide or similar spray can also be mounted on the apparatus 11 to disinfect or sanitize the interior of the cases before they are reused. The cases themselves may be of the solid fiber or corrugated cardboard type and the conveyor 19 maypreferably guide the cleaned cases directly from the cleaning apparatus 11 to a packing station.

I claim as my invention:

1. Cleaning apparatus for removing foreign material from a case or the like container having an open end comprising vertically upstanding S-shaped chute-like guide means having an upper curved end, a central downwardly inclined portion and a lower curved end, said apparatus being adapted to receive the case at the upper end thereof with the case in an upright position with the open end at the top thereof and to guide the gravitational movement of the case through a path of travel whereby the upright case is gravitationally turned into an inverted position at the central portion with the open end thereof facing downwardly and then gravitationally turned back to an upright position at the lower exiting end, a grille means formed in the central portion of said guide means providing an open area through which foreign material can drop from the open end of the case while the case is in said inverted position, said grille means being arranged so that the entire open end of the case passes over said open area and said grille means comprising irregular surfaces for jarring the ease as the case passes over the grille means.

2. The cleaning apparatus as defined in claim 1,

said grille means comprising a plurality of overlapping rods extending substantially along the lengthwise direction of said upper guide surface, said upper edges of said rods comprising said irregular surfaces.

3. The cleaning apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said griile comprises a pair of longitudinally extending first support rods projecting from one end of the opening in overlapping relation with a pair of second rods projecting in an opposite direction from the opposite end of the opening, said first rods being inclined upwardly so that they project above said second rods and thereby present an irregular surface which will cause said cases to jog and jar as they gravitationally slide thereon whereby the foreign material is removed.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Copping 214--308 X Hohenadel et a1 15308 Bycer et a1. 214-311 Drew 15304 Welch 214-311 0 WALTER A. SCHEEL, Acting Primary Examiner.

LEON G. MACHLIN, Assistant Examiner. 

